Signs of wine

The leaves on these grape wines along Highway 152 west of Gilroy are turning golden—sure signs of autumn in Gilroy’s wine country, which also means this year’s harvest is already on its way to a long winter of flavor-building fermentation. Gilroy may be known as the Garlic City, but perhaps its biggest homegrown crop is wine grapes. Gilroy is part of the historic Santa Clara Valley, one of California’s oldest wine-growing regions and home to more than 30 family-owned wineries and tasting rooms, some of them around since the early 20th century.